Safety device for elevating equipment



. May 25, 1-943. NQSEVERINGHAUS 2,320,016 SAFETY DEVICE-FOR ELEVATING-EQUIPMENT Fi led Nov 28, 1942 f /a" I llllllllllllllmllllllllmli INVENTOR.

Patented May 25, 1943 SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATING EQUIPIMENT Nelson Severinghaus, Lithonia, Ga., assignor to Consolidated Quarries Corp., Decatur, Ga.

Application November 28, 1942, Serial No. 467,223

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a safety device designed for use in connection with elevating equipment such as conveyers, skips and other inclined installations.

It sometimes happens that during the hoisting of materials by conveyers, etc., failure of the driving or other mechanism causes the conveyer to suddenly reverse and run out of control, thereby causing property damage and injury to persons in the vicinity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple but very efficient device which will automatically stop the movement of the conveying element in the event of any fault which would release the apparatus for sudden reverse movement.

Another object is to provide a safety device which is simple in construction and can be installed readily.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention ha been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section showing the structure constituting the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates a drum on which is mounted a conveyer belt 2, the shaft 3 of the drum being provided with a gear 4 which, in the structur illustrated, receive motion through speedreducing gears 5, 6 and 1 from a drive shaft 8.

A liquid-tight hollow drum 9 is mounted for free rotation on the shaft 3 adjacent to one side of the gear 4 and this drum is provided at its periphery with inwardly directed radial vanes Ill.

. Secured to the shaft 3 so as to rotate therewith is a sleeve H having radial vanes l2, it bein understood that the vanes l and [2 are so proportioned that they can work past each other during relative rotation of the parts.

A connecting rod I3 is pivotally attached to the periphery of drum 9 as shown at l4, this rod also being pivotally connected at to one end of va lever Hi, the other end being pivoted as at H.

This lever has a rack 18 located where it can move into and out of mesh with the gear 4.

The drum 9 is filled with a liquid and when the conveyer or other hoisting means is operating for the purpose of elevating material, the vanes I2 will rotate with drum I in a clockwise direction, sweeping past the inner end of the vanes l0 but swirling the liquid so that the liquid will press against the vanes l0 and cause the drum 9 to turn in a clockwise direction and thrust through rod l 3 against the end of lever l6. Thus during normal operation of the apparatus, the rack I8 is pressed out of contact with gear 4, as shown in Fig. 1 and the apparatus will operate in the usual way. Should the driving mechanism break or the conveyer suddenly stop and reverse its movement because of some fault, the safety device would be instantly brought into play. As soon as the elevating means starts to move in a reverse direction, the vanes l2 reverse the swirling action of the fluid in the drum 9 and cause the fluid to press against vane i0 and shift drum 9 in a counterclockwise direction. Obviously this will pull through rod 13 on the lever l6 and swing the rack 18 into engagement with gear 4. Thus the gear and the drum I will be locked against rotation and the elevating apparatus will be prevented from running wild and causing injury or damage.

By utilizing the interposed fluid medium in the manner disclosed, a very positive actuation of the safety device is possible whenever the mechanism is reversed at more than a predetermined speed.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with hoist mechanism including a rotatable shaft, a gear affixed to the shaft, and means for driving the gear, of a rack movably supported, and a fluid transmission including concentric relatively movable series of vanes between the shaft and the rack for holding the rack disengaged from the gear when rotating in one direction and for engaging the rack with the gear when rotated in the opposite direction.

2. In hoisting mechanism the combination with a shaft and means for driving the shaft, said means including a gear, of a drum mounted for limited rotation on the shaft, cooperating vanes in the drum and on the shaft, a fluid constituting means for transmitting motion between the vanes and drum, a rack, and a connection between the rack and drum, said vanes and fluid cooperating to hold the rack disengaged from the gear when the gear is rotated in one direction and to draw the rack into mesh with the gear on the shaft, cooperating vanes on the shaft and when rotated in the opposite direction. within the drum respectively, a transmission 3. In hoist mechanism the combination with fluid filling the drum and contacted by all of the a shaft and means for driving the shaft, said vanes, and a connection between the drum and mean including a gear, of a rack for engage- 5 the rack.

ment with the gear and mounted to swing about NELSON SEVERINGHAUS.

a fixed axis, a drum mounted for limited rotation 

